What is BlackHouse Seven

Good morning!

Yesterday I had the joy of bringing back ‘A Quarter Til Wine’ to my IG family and it felt so incredibly good to connect with my audience and I appreciate everyone for tuning in. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart, you all are awesome!

I got to share a little back story and spill the beans about the making of two very exciting projects that BlackHouse Seven got to be a part of and are… finally … able to share with all of you. My day job as a Interior Designer and preservationist, combined with being a single mom of a very busy five year old leaves very little time to keep up with my ‘media presence’ and I thought it’d be a good idea to connect the OG way and fill you in, because A LOTs be happening!

I have been blessed with opportunities to contribute to the ever increasing swell of storytelling through architectural preservation in our communities. It is my hope that when I have the opportunity to be in those spaces, I can insist that the story telling, reverence, and pursuit are inclusive and representative of us all. 

Both Cheap Old Houses & Diary of an Old Home do just that, and I couldn’t be more proud. 

I met Ethan & Elizabeth Finkelstein founders of Cheap Old Houses almost three years ago. Ironically it was wrapped in my request to interview them on ‘A Quarter Til’ Wine’, they graciously obliged and both showed up enthusiastically to talk about the intrinsic value in the stewardship of an old home. They saw the value in what already exists pink bathrooms anyone? Their work allowed for old home stewards, their families, and their stories who embraced a slower pace a moment to feel seen in a world of immediacy. 

I was in the very budding moments of my career and found assuredness that the slow and steady building of a home is not only possible but encouraged by an entire community. We’ll get to how I thought this would be possibly for a trade professional next week.

I will always cherish how both Nina & Chris attentively watched over each and every detail

The ‘making’ of these projects were almost exactly one year apart to the day apparently July is prime time for 805 and were in part very similar. Many weeks of insane preparation, the week’s that I will question every single decision I’ve ever made in our home. But then on the big day warm faces arrive and I immediately feel a sense of calm rush over me. Warm faces that look like mine, and my daughter’s. Faces that understand the nuance of the celebration we all feel for a home like this, for a family like ours. 

Chris, Nina, Kelly, & Wil from the very bottom of my heart, I thank you. 

Kelly and Wil one year prior taking their time photography a very dark and moody dining room

You were on the front lines of these projects and led an entire team in a way I am still in awe of. The patience you took and the care that this moment in time was documented and shared felt natural and an extension of you. Your contribution to this home’s story will exceed our own and I am so grateful for the chapters shared with you. 

I say all of this as I more accurately define what BlackHouse Seven is.

I shared during last night’s IGLive that my primary focus for this platform going into 2024 will be the use of  storytelling to assist in whatever ways I can to help stabilize our housing infrastructure in the central neighborhood’s of Peoria Illinois. What this looks like is still unfolding, but what I know is that there is work to be done and I am without question doing everything that I can to see it through. 

Our first project is BlackHouse on Bigelow. A single family residential rehabilitation that we are currently working towards completing. We are in the midst of figuring out the creative financing that is needed to accomplish such a feat within the very honest constraints of the current housing market. But by sheer might we are doing it!

I don’t make an assertion of success out of any external guarantee but out of only my unwavering commitment and a belief in a community that shows up each and every time.

If you or someone you know has any resources or knowledge in this industry that could be applicable to this project I humbly ask you send us a message!

And if you would like to assist our fundraising efforts please select a sponsorship level comfortable for you!

I can’t wait to see you soon, have a great weekend!

Slow and Steady

Happy Saturday friends!

Today I am happy to say that my work week has extended into the weekend in the most beautiful, unhurried, and stress free way. I am enjoying a slow morning, sipping on a gorgeous Butterfly latte and soaking up this opprotunity to tidy up some work from last week and ready myself for the week ahead.

If you’re local to Peoria IL, have you tried Intuition Coffee Company?

As you know, BlackHouse on Bigelow has settled into its pace which, although slower than I had hoped, is decidedly better for its result. I feel like I am often caught in between a rock and a hard place and wanted to dive into how I, as a trade professional, interpret progress on a project and when how I decide if speed or result is most important. Spoiler…more often then not it is the result.

During the early years of Leslie Tyler Design I aligned myself with General Contractors. I leaned on them to manage construction for my clients and always thought that I would continue to do so. LTD’s speciality and value to the client was in the design of the space right? I thought that I wanted and needed someone that could worry about the nuts and bolts of how that space is put together. While it is not something I regret, what I have discovered over the past four years is that the degree of desire and need depended greatly on the circumstances. What I truly needed was a group of builders and trades that understood that lasting work must come from a place of patience. While there is no “one fits all” I can say that for LTD, process and quality will always outweigh the expediency of any project.

Leslie Tyler Design & Construction

That is not to say that there is not value for speed, time is most certainly money especially in construction. But after having both options, what I have found is that the teams that do it fast, rarely executed the job with the attention to detail that I demanded and was committed to providing my clients.

Through trial and error I am excited that I have found my people. My crew that gets it. My crew that is eager to dive further into solving a concern and refuse the notion that “it can’t be done”. My crew who is thinking four steps ahead and my crew who enthusiastically pushes boundaries and innovation. My crew who values the craftsmanship of the 150 year old manor and my crew that embrace the innovation of adapting the 1910 bungalow into a home any modern family would find comfortable.

My mentor recently reminded me that when thinking about what my offer is to this world I must be clear on my value proposition. What do I do, and hint I can’t be “everything”. I couldn’t be me without inevitably not being someone else.

I am more comfortable than I’ve ever been to say what Leslie Tyler Design & Construction is and what we will continue to be.

We are not the firm that you come to when you want the project done fast, or at least fast for fast sake. We’re not who you call when you’re looking for a magical before and after in a weekend. We’re not the firm that will limit our sourcing to a fixture we can pick up today or edging that makes for a quick install.

We are the firm that you call when you want the best. When you demand the thorough build. When you want the firm whose attention to detail will supersede yours every single time. We are the firm that client’s come to when they want it done right, well, and the firm that will only leave you with a beautifully crafted space ready for you to enjoy.

This beauty, located in Galesburg IL, is getting foundation work that starts next week!

And that is the approach we are committed to bringing to BlackHouse on Bigelow. While this week may not carry physical evidence of a work. This week was spent preparing for all the intricacies of the work that will once again resume, and with it the fortitude that this turn of the century Foursquare demands.

Can’t wait to see you next weekend!

If you feel led to be a part of something much greater than us individually and embark on a journey to uncover just how meaningful saving an old house can be please use the link below to choose your level of sponsorship towards BlackHouse on Bigelow. Each contribution will receive our signature BlackHouse candle, which has long represented the powerful yet tempered energy required to bring forth a new vision.

Let’s Talk About the Elephant

Or at least the hole in the side of the house big enough to fit an elephant

This past week was a FULL one over at BlackHouse on Bigelow. LOTS of moving parts, all of which need to be done… yesterday. The harsh midwest winter is fast approaching, and to meet our spring deadline work has to continue through the winter months which means 1.) Electricity needs to be on and 2.) We need to be weather tight.

I’m so happy to report that electricity is on its way. Our beloved electrician Manny took down the FIVE existing meter boxes the last evidence of this home’s past as many units and replaced it with one, very beautiful, “Ameren Approved” it really does have a tag stating that lol meter box. Now we’re just waiting for the city inspector to award us our green tag! Once we get our tag Ameren will connect to the new meter and voila! We’re keeping our fingers crossed that by the end of next week we’ll be sitting pretty with at least one light and outlet.

Now, before we get too excited, let it be known that this accomplishment only satisfies the main panel. Because I’m paying for much of this project with cash and with help from some of you amazing humans! it sometimes means phasing certain high ticket items. I planned to tackle the rough in for the first floor at the same time as the main service leaving rough in for the second floor for phase two next spring but the very important number number two task that needs to be done before the cold weather had it’s budget ballon last week and I am currently working to figure out just how to balance both as swiftly as I can.

With the main service inspected and on, we will have temp power for construction which is a HUGE improvement and technically the rough in of the first floor can be pushed back… a bit. The time sensitive work of the new service being done before winter is technically “accomplished”.

While Manny was plugging away on the electrical service my carpenter Bryan has been carefully inspecting the exterior repairs. First and foremost I will testify that the original wood siding and cedar shake is overall in really good shape, especially for being almost 120 years old. However, there is one area that had a fire and was never properly repaired. I was aware of the damage but initially thought most of the repairs could be addressed from the inside, over the winter. Come to find out that no, not only does it need to be fixed as soon as possible, because everything is interconnected some of the exterior cedar shake siding needs to come with it. All this needs to be done and done now, before we will be weather tight and before winter which is on its way!

To add the icing on this very urgent cake, the cost of this much needed exterior repair is exactly the cost of the electrical rough in for the first floor. Funny how that works. While I don’t have the ability to do both I will reallocate the funds for electrical rough and spend a few more weeks in the dark.

With all that being said, and at the end of the day, I am so very grateful for this opportunity of saving this old house from demolition. It is really mind blowing that it was going to end up in a land fill. It is my hope that sharing these very real life challenges with you encourages you to do what you can with what you have. The path is more often than not slow. Hiccups are inevitable but if you stick to it, and keep taking one foot in front of the other in whatever you are doing, it will come to pass.

BlackHouse on Bigelow

Remember back in February of last year when I spilled the beans that I had bought a house and saved a bed… not just any bed, an original Murphy Bed, well… we’re finally getting started and, in the process, discovered that this project is so much more than a bed, and even bigger than saving the house itself.

To back up a bit, in March of 2022 I responded to a RFP request for proposal sent out by the Peoria City Land Bank for a house that was slated for demolition. I had almost no plan at all other than a heart that this 1910 home, sitting in Peoria’s oldest historic district had to be saved.

I took what I had, and did what I could.

I offered a whopping $7 for the house knowing that I would be lucky to break even after rehabilitating it and acquiring a COO certificate of occupancy, which was a term of my deed. I saved the house that just about everyone told me to pass on, and everyone else didn’t get why this was this hill I was so adamant to die on. What is even crazier is that at the time I didn’t have much more than $7 to put towards saving it. My goal, and genius idea was the City of Peoria would create a revolving fund for those like me who had been called to saving houses but that didn’t fit a traditional and profitable financial model.

Saving single family homes in a meaningful way is a hard business.

Whether is was because no one else responded, or they were simply lucky to get this property back on the tax role, my proposal won and I wrote a big check for $7 to the city and was sent on my way without the creation of a revolving fund… embarking on arguably the most challenging 18 months of my career.

For almost a year and a half I knocked on every door I could seeking local partners in this grand endeavor. Municipalities, private companies, and individuals and I was told time and time again that is didn’t make financial sense. That part, I already knew. But what I also knew, and what remains as truth is that it makes sense in every way but financial. And sometimes the most meaningful work requires breaking a system that isn’t serving the community for its good.

To be transparent, I am a single working mom with a very new business that on good days keeps the lights on. I am in no way a real estate investor if I was this would absolutely not be the house I’d choose. I have poured all of my financial resources pulling from my own homes’ equity, and leveraged every strategic relationship I have, and harnessed its power to shed light on this, but…

I cannot do this alone.

Maintaining and rehabilitating Peoria’s built infrastructure was always the goal. This midwest community that is filled to the brim with cheap old houses is also one riddled with blight and currently grossly underprepared to care for them. BlackHouse Seven is committed to work that allows for diversity and inclusion of participants; those old home stewards rehabilitating, trades & contractors, and for those that would ultimately purchase these homes.

While the harsh truth is that I cannot do this alone, I believe that I was never intended to. Learning from the process, that thing I preach over and over as what should be celebrated was the goal. What comes out of creative thinking and collaboration, and mechanisms to solve the fiscal challenges and roadblocks of the system that is in place.

I have made a commitment to saving this old house, and sharing its rehabilitation journey with you. Hear from us throughout this journey as we uncover how Ms. Mellie Freeman built this house as a single woman in 1910, what? Become a part of the force that brings back this home that neighbors saw as a nuisance and eye sore into a beautiful and sound old house, sold affordably, with the proceeds rolling into saving the next old house.

Using the instrument of historic rehabilitation to change a community in ways unimaginable.

I am excited to say that there will be documentation of much of this rehab shared in summer 2024 and this work will be shared with the masses. But, the fate of the outcome hangs in the balance.

If you feel led to be a part of something much greater than us individually and embark on a journey to uncover just how meaningful saving an old house can be please use the link below to choose your level of sponsorship towards BlackHouse on Bigelow. Each contribution will receive our signature BlackHouse candle, which has long represented the powerful yet tempered energy required to bring forth a new vision.

As part of our newsletter you’ll get weekly updates on the progress we’ve made and obstacles we’ve overcome. You will also have access to never before seen transformations and industry recommendations for some of our most challenging hurdles. It is my belief that when something, long deemed impossible…

is done together

the lessons learned & the impact made creates the ability to transcend our wildest dreams…

I hope to see you there!

I’m Doing It Mom!

Well if the last post’s title was any indication for what the last week has been like… whew!

Site Visit Leslie Tyler Design February 2022

So first… I’m alive, I’m here, and everything is good… actually more than good, it is life - changing - astounding in fact. When we left off I was bustling about putting the finishing touches on a proposal I submitted to the city of Peoria’s land bank. Combined with its deadline, the onset of a terrible cold (luckily no COVID but nasty none the less), and an unexpected five day weekend for Ms. Seven due to another snow day… we’ll just say that I was forced to take a few personal days.

The thing about my job is that there aren’t any concrete lines drawn between personal and business time. I love the flexibility that it brings, and honestly have no idea how I would manage juggling parenting without it my 9-5 parents, you are literally Superheros but I usually find myself forced into ‘personal time’ when my body and the rest of the universe is seems is belting “SIT DOWN ALREADY!”

But, no matter the catalyst I have had some time of rest and am back to business. Business that, come to find out, still kept chugging along even without me… so wild!

Over my hiatus I got word about a very significant project and I cannot wait to spill the beans in the next couple of weeks. But in the meantime I will share the bustling design work that I can. This week I am working on three separate presentations including 5 different rooms; a kitchen & bath, half bath, and living & dining room, preparing for one install, and keeping a watchful eye over one very active job site… and I am over the moon about each and every one of them.

Even as I write down what my client work looks like for the week, I am in awe of it. I’m not sure if its me or if all artist or I suppose any entrepreneur at all feels like I do. The feeling like we’re not getting anywhere at all, perhaps we’re just pretending to work. No? Just me? If I could share any one thing this morning it would be that you are doing it. You really are!

When you learn to ride a bike the person teaching usually holds onto the back of the seat, keeping you steady as you wobble from side to side. Over time, your balance grows strength and, unbeknownst to you the spotter’s hand become lighter and lighter. Eventually my mom, without telling me, would let go. Me, still thinking she was right there beside me, had the confidence and would keep riding enjoying it for the first time without a worry in the world... I was free.

Now whether you were the kid that kept riding down the block even after the I’m doing it shock set in, or you immediately fell to the side... you would forever know that YOU CAN DO IT! And once you know that you never look back. I’m here to remind you that you probably won’t feel that spotter’s hand getting lighter, or let go entirely but one day you’ll look down and realize that you are doing it, and no matter what happens after that… you’ll never go back!

Hire That Designer.

Hire that designer.

I will talk about this generally as to not attack any one person or company. My words are not meant to place blame, but to bring an awareness to something that I am passionate about, my art. My time in this industry has uncovered that the vast majority of general contracting companies, even the ones that have ‘design’ as one of their services, don’t put much value in design at all. Hear me out.

I want to first say that this is a generalization, I have seen the effects of a symbiosis between the design and construction of a project, and the results are evident. However, it happens enough that I do perceive it as an industry norm. While I have knocked on many of those contractor’s doors directly, I believe that until their clients start having the discretion to demand it, it will not change.

From my perspective, and those of any great architect or contractor Frank Lloyd Wright anyone?, the most beautiful projects are results of either being led by a designer yes, most design firms can run projects as general contractors, or when a designer is brought in at the very beginning. And let me be clear, there is a vast difference from an independent design firm hired alongside a contractor, and a contractor who has Sally in house, to select some finishes from a small group of vendors that are…alright.

To select the ‘right’ finish you must have an understanding of how every other element in the space will work

Design is art, it is the building of the space that marries the visual with the utilitarian demands of its use. Ultimately, the end result is what one will see and experience. Having the expertise to select the appropriate mortar or galvanized nails doesn’t qualify that same contractor to source the appropriate tile. They must work together.

At this very moment I have not one, but two projects that I have been brought in on by the client, to advise, and in one case replace the more established like been in the industry for generations in this area established contractor. I am delighted to be working on these projects but, because I wasn’t brought in at the beginning there has been money and time wasted. A solution as simple and obvious as hiring a landscape architect, or plumber I am baffled at the amount of contractors and clients who ‘kind of’ forget the importance of a design specialist.

And when it comes to historic anything, believe me HIRE YOUR SPECIALIST….please. Knowing how to do construction on an old house or building, and understanding the many nuances of its construction and design is a different ball entirely. In addition to my general General Contractor I bring in preservationist and craftsmen trained in classical building arts on all of my historic projects. I have a design eye, but I owe it to my clients to run that vision alongside what is prescribed by someone whose primary focus is different than my own.

In welcoming these checks and balances it is possible to execute sound construction that also incorporates stunning design.

So I’ve said it before and I will say it again…

hire that designer.

You’re Doing Great

Morning sun and simple pleasures…

In through your nose… out through your mouth… now go!

I shared last week that am knee deep in preparing a “proposal”. A bold, but manageable ask from the small, central Illinois city of Peoria. A proposal to acquire a historic home, a proposal that I don’t have any prior experience in curating. Finding the perfect words to say “I have this great idea, so let’s take a chance and make magic” is something I’m still working through. I’m tasked in preparing an argument to try something that my, more established, industry peers would confidently say is impossible. But I have channeled my inner ‘attorney’ (my fallback profession according to my mother) and am making it happen. The truth is that this isn’t just a gut feeling although I would easily go on that as well it is simply an implementation of what is happening successfully all over the country.

With a due date of Wednesday the first half of the week is tense. As anxiety grows in my chest I make my best attempt to ‘control’ my environment and plan the heck out of my time. I wake up in the early morning hours to start my day with the intention for the week, and am quickly joined by a sweat voice eager to start the day with me. Instead of the yoga flow planned, ‘mommy’ was needed. As Seven usually does, I was reminded to let go and enjoy what life was is offering me right in that moment. My daughter has an uncanny ability to sense my emotions and prescribe my remedy much better than I. It’s funny how our children take care of us in so many ways.

This morning it wasn’t about control, or having everything organized and productive. It was about gratitude for every ounce of this thing called life, especially the unexpected ounces. Fully experiencing the unplanned bits and allowing myself the space to enjoy it is the point. Loosening my grasp on what I had planned makes space for what the universe has for me. And in my experience, the universe likes to show off.

No matter if your Monday is moving according to schedule, or if you already want to climb back in bed, allow it. You are doing great. and if your reading this, right now… even if only for a moment, everything is ok.

Be Like Water

Be like water.

In relation to most I know very little about astrology. Outside of knowing ‘I’m a Pisces’ much of the nuances elude me. While I wouldn’t claim that I am constantly considering my birth chart in my day to day, the fact that pisces are water signs has always just felt right. If I had to define my personality I would agree that the malleable truth and possibilities of water are indeed a physical representation of my own very nature.

For a while I struggled with the possibility that I, myself, had no true identity. Did I even have a personality of my own? I remember watching movies as a child and after it was over, mimicking the mannerisms and gestures of a certain character. Sometimes even fantasizing that we had similar hobbies and interests. As a I grew older I often observed my behavior to differ based upon the social situation I found myself in. I may have pieced together a baseline of sorts, but the truth is that is you rounded up a group of my peers I would probably be described as quiet, loud, confident, and timid… and they all would be right.

What I once thought as a character flaw I am now beginning to embrace. Allowing myself to respond according to the situation is my super power not an inability to define who I am, for within me… is everything.

Assessing a situation, interaction, energy itself with precision and accuracy is a skillset. The softness of absorption affords me the strength to be gentle as a stream, and strong as a tsunami all in the same day, and moment if required.

Today, this super power was called upon as I navigate the unpredictability of working while I am at home with Seven. Without fail, whether it be late into the night or early in the day, when I want to ‘work’ I am usually followed by soft footsteps and a little voice asking for my presence. I am as sure as my name is Reagan that Seven can hear my laptop open and knows that is her cue. I go back and forth between the most productive moments. Should I stay up till the wee hours of the morning? Or would waking before dawn have a better chance of success? I could be staring at the ceiling, undisturbed in either moment and as soon as attach a purpose to that, the tide quickly shifts.

Today, the office door, ok who am I kidding, I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, opened before 6 am. A morning that I was confident would have at least an hour of undisturbed focus, now would be cut in half. This morning I would be sharing snuggles and counting tiny toes in reverence of the blessing of [in her words] '“growing so big!” in the darkness before dawn.

I’ve been honest that battling the guilt of not being present with her while I am at home, and the sincere need to produce work is one I will never ‘win’. I will be juggling these two parts of me for what seems like an eternity. I will be frank and admit that I don’t always find the beauty so easily, and I’ve even shed a few tears when I am rushing to meet a deadline and “mommy” is needed right there and now. But when I lean into the messy, unorganized, overlapping craziness…when I embrace my already ingrained and curated super power… all is well.

I am like water … I was built for this.

Gratitude

Sometimes life takes my breath away!

It is well… always

I promised that these morning ‘brain dumps’ would be authentic and exactly what is top of mind. I’d be lying to say that I didn’t yearn to share a curated and polished representation of myself and my life. However, I know that through my unfiltered mess, you will see, that despite it all, there is beauty in that very mess. A teachable mess that should be appreciated just as much as the polished bits.

Today I woke up with an all too familiar friend, anxiety. Ever since I can remember I have felt an internal battle with a feeling of nervousness. As a theatre kid, ‘battling the nerves’ came with the territory. And frankly, I got damn good at it. I am a master of keeping my cool under pressure, but unfortunately not such a master at ridding myself of the feeling all together.

I told my mother that lately I have felt in more in my body than my mind. In my mind I know that everything is ok, I am safe, taken care of, loved, and couldn’t be more grateful for everything I have. But even when my mind can create logic my body never lies. My body can feel what is beyond my mind to explain. I can feel the life I prayed for.

Life is indescribably beautiful, right here and now, and if I only reach a fraction of what I intend to tomorrow… well, I’m not sure if my heart can take it.

For so long I was in pursuit of a dream. I was flailing about, learning of course, but I still wasn’t on the path. I didn’t really have a clue, and nothing was close enough to taste. Well today it is, today I can see it, feel it, and it seems that in any moment I can touch it.

My wildest dreams are right here… They’re Here!!

Coupled with shear excitement is the equaling pit-in-the chest anxiety that I’m fighting every day. I know that I am on a journey that I have prayed for, one I cried for in the dead of night when I thought no one was listening. The realization that things are not only coming to pass, but I am showing up in ways that others have prayed for… God is surely magnificent.

So today, I will assign this feeling of anxiousness, be the power of something far greater than myself. I will not dwell on the BIG picture that, in this moment, I cannot conceptualize. I instead will focus on gratitude. Centering myself on this cadence of life calms me.

Inhaling graciously the miraculousness of life, and exhaling the need, or even desire to know where it is going.

Hitting The Road

Seven, pack your suitcase… we’re hitting the road!

Typically I am a very averse to being any sorts of productive during the winter months especially the late winter months that don’t ooz “Holiday season” and therefore who’s weather has no real purpose. This year though, this year is different to say the least. As I approach a full three years in the game time that feels like it has moved at snails pace and also at the speed of light. I have felt the persistent nagging of getting to do’s checked off in exchange for packing my bags and practicing what I preach.

This summer I am planning on of the most epic road trips I have ever embarked on. A true road trip in every sense of the word, a trip centered around the journey along the way without a singular destination but a value of every stop along the way. I shared a while back on Instagram that I felt this intense need to go out and see all of the many places I shockingly haven’t seen around the country. I didn’t particularly grow up in a family that took vacations and trips simply for the sake of the experience. While I’ve probably hit up every historic site in central Illinois, my experiences beyond my own backyard were reserved for visiting family, which left those destinations limited. My one and only international trip to Canada was for church, and my Dad had a work conference for a few years when I was in high school and our family tagged along to Florida.

My early adult years were focused on figuring out how to make ends meet with a BA in Theatre Arts circa 2009, and again, never really allowed myself to spend extra money on something as silly as a plan ticket.

Fast forward to now, a thirty something momma who understands with certainty that I have to go exploring. There is no way on earth that I can evolve as a proper artist or preservationist without putting my own two feet and those of my daughters in these spaces. I need to touch, feel, and experience the parts of this beautiful country.

While I do have a particular aim of which I’ll share later this month I am still working through the itinerary and ironing out the details. I have my short list that includes Detroit, Boston, New York, the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, New Orleans, and Mississippi but I want to hear from you. What places must make the list, where isn’t worth going if there is such a place and…

what artist, makers, homeowners, buildings, and cities are making preservation go ‘round?

Sound off below!

Buy The House, Get The Bed

Rise and shine!

Much like everything else in the midwest, you’re at a standstill…until you’re not. Like the mad dash I had to make out into the arctic tundra first thing this morning to take the garbage to the curb! But more to my point, I have inexplicably gone from day dreaming about all of the many projects I could be doing to actually doing them.

This potential project on the horizon is precisely the type I hope to do more of in my immediate community, and one that I believe is the needed piece in equitable historic preservation. A historic home, in one of the many ‘historic burros’ of Peoria that was acquired by our city’s land bank. Originally a single family, the home has had its fair run of being split up and pieced together poorly to cram as many under its roof as possible. Despite its rocky past in getting here, it has managed to retain some of its original features that I am just gaga over! Original Murphy Bed anyone? The fact of the matter, I have had a couple walk throughs with investors and contractors alike and almost everyone ok basically everyone besides me thinks any effort to rehabilitate the property would be useless. In fact, I had one individual bluntly say “maybe [the historic homes] should all be torn down” to which I promptly scurried to my car and cried over.

Original siding and windows, oh my!

The part that keeps my fire fueled is the incredible talented community I have built up throughout the country. The one’s that have said “this is absolutely possible and here is how you do it!”. Our army may be small, but we are mighty and determination to make these homes work, in the traditional real estate sense, in unshakeable. While these ‘case studies of success’ are not immediate neighbors, and I acknowledge the nuances of this particular community, I am confident that the examples I’ve seen could be replicated. Walking into uncharted territory seems to be the norm for me, but a requirement in the pursuit of an outcome different than we’ve seen before.

My hope is to take this home, a dumping ground for a slum lord who only looked at this home as a means to an end, and turn it back into a single family residence. A home who, I hope will add to the inventory of affordable housing to my community. A home whose survival will add value to the fabric of the historic community it sits within.

Proposals are due next week and I hope to share more about what the first BlackHouse Seven initiative will actually include and the perspective that I will be taking towards its success. I feel like a broken record but here we go into the unknown yet again! And who knows, maybe I’ll convince them to grant me the opportunity. Truth be told I’ll probably end up with a whole house to rehabilitate before I complete my own kitchen, but hey, sometimes thats just how it is.

If you’re someone who has restored a property that others thought you were crazy for even attempting I want to hear about it! Accepting all good vibes, well wishes, and case studies I can muster.

Save ALL The Old Houses!

Welcome Back!

Snows clear, Seven’s back at school, and momma’s got a full week ahead!

Welcome Back!

If you missed last Friday’s ‘Quarter ‘Til Wine’ don’t worry, I’ve got a link to the playback right here! It felt oh so good to connect with my people! If you have no idea what I am talking about I started a IG Live segment that I do my best to host every Friday afternoon as I count down to ‘wine time’ also known as 5 o’clock. Fifteen minutes we go live at 4:45 CST of checking in, and touching base with our collective. What started as a way to decompress during the dogs days of ‘Lockdown 2020’ blossomed into this incredible vehicle of connecting my followers with the very talented community in my ‘wheel house’. As diverse as my career is so are the guest. I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with everyone from HGTV stars to homeowners working through their home one room at a time. Through authentic and meaningful conversations, I would like to think that our little corner of the world has shared laughs, tears, and at times even anger…together. We have faced some uncomfortable and difficult topics head on, and I will forever be grateful for a community who holds space for those conversations in the pursuit of sincere resolution. Our little corner of the world is pretty bad a*s if you think about it, we should probably all be in Congress but I digress.

Unlike most Friday’s this first episode of 2022 was all me! Sometimes I need a moment to spill the beans! This episode was all about BlackHouse Seven and what is to come from this budding brand. The instagram tagline I had founded to just be the ‘messy’ parts, a behind the scenes of my life as Principal Designer at Leslie Tyler Design had become a passion all its own. Taking this community on a journey rich in curiosity and shedding light on the untold stories of our historic homes, our BlackHouse.

With all that being said I want to hear from you!

I will be honest, I don’t have it all figured out. I as far as I can gather am walking into uncharted territory. Territory whose “ultimate goal” is still unwritten. How far and wide can the impact of deliberate efforts of inclusion go? I say, let’s shoot for the moon! All I am sure of is that if this pursuit is executed as a community, with the sincere desire of uncovering the truth, and dedication to acknowledgment of every part of its creation and care… I know, without a doubt that the future will be bright.

I would love to hear your thought. What areas do you see that would make a impact in your immediate community…

How can BlackHouse Seven Support You!?!

Right Here

We have officially begun Day 3 of a very unexpected I don’t care what the forecast said Snow Day! And consequently the last day of the week and the one I pushed everything off to because of course a silly snowstorm on Wednesday couldn’t possibly shut down this midwest city for that long. I managed to hand shovel my 40 foot driveway Wednesday night so… let’s quit messing around and get back to business people! I know you’re probably thinking I sound a bit out of character this morning, a bit stressed shall we call it. You’d be right, and honestly my anxiety has been just as high these last few days as it did during March 2020.

As I type this standing at my bathroom vanity and clinging onto any amount of focus I have with the help of Experience by Ludovico, Seven has just barged in singing Surface Pressure - fitting I suppose - and apparently has decided to experiment with lighting design as she explores the possibility of the light switch in the room

I’ve gotten rather creative to find the little pockets of productivity but it still leaves my mind feeling stretched more often than not. One life saver that I now swear was compiling a “Master List”. A spreadsheet where I can see everything that I am responsible for in one place. With beautiful color blocking, I know that I am doing precisely what I need to do in that moment, and can relax knowing everything else has a place. I can be fully invested and not worrying about what I am not doing.

While it doesn’t mean that everything is executed flawlessly, I can more easily tell that if I do groceries on Monday I will have more uninterrupted time working out the layout of a client’s bathroom Tuesday, and if I write all the newsletter’s for the month Friday, I will have all next week to work on the proposal to the city. My life seems to be the perfect example of butterfly effect because I also just paused the 25 minute timer for this entry to negotiate what show would be played for yours truly but now, I can see those effects, and that brings a bit of sanity to the chaos in my mind.

Leslie Tyler Design 2022

Today was the earliest of mornings as it is a delivery day for a client. What was scheduled on Wednesday got pushed to today, and at sometime between 8 and noon I will have to jump in the car and make a mad dash which will actually be a slow crawl because snow over to my client’s to meet them. Because of this impending fire alarm I needed to have myself and Seven ready to walk out the door at 8 am, and have been looking for small projects to fill the time, that will inevitably come at 11:55 am or has the potential to be later than that because snow.

This weekend will be a working weekend, because this week didn’t seem to be. Although, I could argue the “boundaries” line and one could easily point to me saying that weekends are my sacred time, the truth is, my job is downright fun. And honestly, if I have to work a Saturday please let it be picking out slabs and faucets for clients, am I right?!?

No matter what this weekend brings you, lean into it and rest assured, you are precisely where you need to be!

Into the Unknown

If you tuned in yesterday on Instagram you heard the big fat juicy news that… drumroll please…BlackHouse Seven would now stand on its own two feet. I find myself incessantly using these body part analogies and currently we have two arms (of the same body) with each having their own two feet? What started as a social media outlet for me to let my hair down and just be, has evolved into a brand all its own. I have set off down the rabbit hole to satisfy my own curiosity but also realized that what I was learning and uncovering was a brand, whose voice is needed in the spaces of preservation and design. I was, with delicate precision, uncovering the unspoken words, the whispered stories held in the dark corners of the historic architecture of America, the BlackHouse. It is my sincere belief that we owe our future the telling of these parts and in namesake of my daughter BlackHouse Seven was born.

I have penned this blog throughout my time as Principal Designer at LTD as a way to document what I knew would be a crazy ride. I always chuckle when people ask about my blog. I am either preparing to become the next industry shifting NY Times best seller or just keeping a detailed account of my whereabouts for the CIA to put in my file or anything in between I suppose. If you’re curious and want to read the page turning content you can find an archive of previous post here. Sometimes this was consistent, sometimes not, I try not to speak unless I actually have something worth saying but I’m currently knee deep in a challenge to write a post in 25 minutes first thing in the morning every day before work. Now if you have been reading along you’ll know that “first thing” is relative because hey, my mornings are almost never orderly, but a girls gotta have a dream right? The point is that it would be a “this is what I’m thinking right here right now” kind of therapeutic brain dump.

I feel like I have the best job in the world but after two and half years I have also discovered that there is a lot that people think I do that I don’t, and lots of things that people would have no idea I do during a typical day. Like how on Monday I surprised my client’s dog and dog walker when I was doing a site visit with a painter, and had to literally bark at said dog to avoid an attack! Credit to the dog, I was in her space, credit to me… “If you ever see me in the forest fighting with a grizzly bear… help the bear!” iykyk. First thing in the morning seemed like an appropriate time as any to share the utter randomness of it all. Owning and operating a new business amid unprecedented times no less and being a single momma is always serving up a healthy dose of unknown. I find that embracing the journey of the unknown, navigating the pitfalls and triumphs and sharing them authentically, is the truth I will insist on always sharing.

So, as my Pomodoro timer is ticking down I’ll give you the brief rundown of what life looks like right now.

I own and operate Leslie Tyler Design, predominantly a one woman show, I will admit I am busting at the seems when it comes to capacity and hope to add at least one team member soon. I also just launched BlackHouse Seven and have a whole slew of passion projects under this umbrella one that happens to be spread out nationally, but hey, no biggie. I also own a 1908 Tudor Revival whose kitchen I just gutted that I am set on doing as much of it myself. I’d credit this to being hyper independent, but also my creative process likes being left alone to “play” such as the mosaic pattern in our mud room that is taking 1000x as long as I thought, but is equally worth it. And last but certainly not least, the star of it all is my sweet four year old daughter, Seven. She is my muse, my inspiration, also my biggest critic, my gift that saved me in more ways than I could tell.

That’s the rundown in short, I am off to grab a quick shower before the aforementioned Seven wakes up for her second snow day this week! I hope to have a bit more of a productive day and finally lay this darn mosaic… stay tuned!

Snow White

Well folks, I can’t deny how fitting it is that Launch Day would fall on the most epic of all snow days (the last one I can recall was sophomore year of college when I had to fight through waist deep snow to relocate my Nissan to the opposite side of campus, 0/10 would not recommend). A impressive snow storm has been going strong all night and has plans to stick around until late in the evening. It is not by coincidence that on a day such as this, Seven and I are together, hunkered down in our favorite place. Home.

That, and whenever my Capricorn Seven is involved you can count on a good amount of snow.

I assigned today “Launch Day” but I feel like it is more appropriate to say it is simply a day of acknowledgement, a recognition of growth. The past three years has handed our family, and frankly everyone, a fair amount of moments we’ll call “learning opportunities”. I think as a collective we can agree our world was turned on its head and shaken, vigorously. I would like to think that I have used these moments wisely, leveled up and gotten crystal clear on what it is I am here to do. That may still be up for debate but hey, let’s seize the moment and leave no regrets.

I began a career in 2019 that I am obsessed with like deeply, and truly pinch myself that this is actually my job! and it has led me down a rabbit hole. I have rather unintentionally cultivated a trail alongside my work within the historic preservation industry that I hope continues to be evident for years to come.

Fast forward to today and it is evident that out of one seed grew two arms. Two limbs, equally important and dependent on each other. But as we all know, to reach our furthest wingspan, those two limbs bust stretch opposite. Today is the day that I embrace that separation and BlackHouse Seven stands on its own.

@BlackHouseSeven was created on social media. Intended to be a space for the unpolished glimpse of my day to day. I was a new designer navigating a world that I had no formal training in, only a desire to further support preservation. My design eye, I thought, could help old home stewards view their spaces in exciting ways, in ways that would incorporate original details and give them a chance to survive. My work as Founder and Principal Designer of Leslie Tyler Design is chaotic and messy, finding the humor and the laughter in the teachable moments as I navigate my role as a business owner and life as a single momma.

In each space I inhabit my only desire is to continue to be open, receptive to something new. I have learned through my design work that there is beauty in the mess, and value in sharing that. My ask is that you join me, that you buckle up alongside me and bear witness to the journey of a lifetime. A journey of learning and sharing of the beauty held in the darkness, the untold stories heard in the voices, in the whispers of the past.

BlackHouse Seven in short, are my two loves…

“My BlackHouse, my home whose soul I embrace in totality, the wholeness of its creation and the faithful stewards of its past, and my Seven, my steadfast and committed love for the legacy I will leave to tomorrow”

Cheers to reaching far and wide!